David Hoffman spoke at Ted2008, 9 days after he lost everything in a fire. It’s painful when you lose something precious, but what do you do when you lose all of your precious things all at once? That David could stand up on that stage and share his loss for just a few minutes is an act of remarkable courage. Most of us wouldn’t be able to take the additional pressure of public speaking on top of losing your entire life story. But he did. And then he moved forward to restart his life because he had what he cherished the most: his family. He moved forward for them.
As a collector, I can understand his pain. If I had to lose anything from my collection, I would be heartbroken. I collect things I love and keep them because they have become a part of me. Getting me to relinquish anything is difficult enough, and takes a large amount of thought and reflection. When I do let something go, it’s because it’s needed somewhere else. But most will be with me for life, because my soul needs them. I never get tired of revisiting them. And I appreciate the love that went into each and every one of them.
What would we do if we’re confronted with such a catastrophe? The closest I came was during the CA fire season many years back when the hills of Temecula caught on fire during that scorching summer. We were told to evacuate, and confronted with the ultimate decision: What do you take? What’s the most important thing? How do you decide? What’s going to happen if it all goes up into flames? You appreciate what you have when you’re confronted with its potential loss. Sure, people say that everything’s good because you and your loved ones are alive. But what about the memories? They’re just as potent. Their loss will be felt just as powerfully. And there’s absolutely nothing wrong with these feelings.
Our history helps mold who we are. It’s a part of our future because it starts the foundation. So, it’s a pretty good time to take stock of everything that’s in your life and place their appropriate importance to you. It’s not superficial, because it’s an important part of you. Life comes in all shapes and sizes, living or immortalized in form. So cherish them all. We should appreciate everything that we have. The future is not predictable.
And getting back to David’s story:
This is what he made of that heartbreak. It’ll hurt to watch it because it happened to someone. Even if you don’t know them, it still hurts. It’s because we’re human. And that’s good.
David made something good out of something bad! Actually, he and John Vincent Barrett made something incredible which has too much that needs to be shared. What an incredible life! Thanks for inviting us in, David. And the best of luck to you and yours.
